Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Contact
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Gong Ji-hyun shook her head.
"I've never seen him in any movies or dramas. I think he's the acting coach for one of the other actors who was there that day."
Director Byeon Hyeong-chan set down his ballpoint pen, looking delighted.
"If there's such an excellent acting trainer out there, we'd love to get some help from him too."
Not every actor possesses the level of performance the director desires.
Even if you cast someone thinking they can act well, they might freeze up once filming starts for real. It happens all the time.
And there are plenty of cases where an investor pushes someone through who ends up underperforming.
It's the director's job to make the movie anyway.
'If what Gong Ji-hyun says is true, he's exactly the kind of talent the film industry needs.'
Byeon Hyeong-chan asked,
"What's that gentleman's name?"
Gong Ji-hyun's face fell.
"I still don't know his name."
"Huh? But you said you trained with him for a bit—didn't you even get his contact info?"
"I thought he'd be sticking around the set... Guess he left early."
"So you haven't seen him since then?"
"No! I have!"
Gong Ji-hyun's eyes sparkled brightly.
"I ran into him by chance on the street today. We've met twice now, so one more time makes three. If we keep bumping into each other like that, doesn't it feel like fate?"
THO Entertainment President Lee Tae-ho cut in.
"Sorry to say this, but... let's hold off on any scandals before we've even started shooting."
Gong Ji-hyun waved her hands in surprise.
"It's not like that! How could I even... No, I just respect him as a fellow actor!"
Gong Ji-hyun's screen time had increased in the drama she was appearing in. She wasn't in every episode, but she featured enough to be considered solid supporting spice.
The three extras playing her friends—Friend 1, 2, and 3—had originally been slated for one-time appearances.
But after that episode aired, the response to the trio was surprisingly positive. So when the script got revised, all three were brought back.
They still only had one line of dialogue each as extras, but the three of them were thrilled anyway.
Since they were filming alongside Gong Ji-hyun, they hung out together while waiting for their shots.
Last time, Gong Ji-hyun had been so down before filming that it was hard to even talk to her. But now she was beaming. One high school girl, two twenty-year-olds, and one twenty-one-year-old all together—naturally, the chatter flowed.
That's when Gong Ji-hyun brought up the audition she'd gone to the day before yesterday.
"I'm waiting to hear back, but the competition was fierce, so I might not make it."
Lee Yeon-ji asked,
"What project is it?"
"A debut film from a rookie director. Spear of Destiny or something..."
Lee Yeon-ji clapped her hands.
"Oh! We auditioned for that too! Wow, what a coincidence!"
"Huh? I don't think I saw you there?"
"We auditioned yesterday."
"Oh, right. Wait a sec."
Gong Ji-hyun tilted her head.
"You don't have an agency—how'd you even hear about the audition?"
"Eun-ha unnie told us. She's from our neighborhood."
"Ah. I heard she's already confirmed for a role. Just waiting on whether it's the lead or not."
Lee Yeon-ji grinned widely.
"Then we'll be filming with unnie too? I love how many familiar faces there are."
Gong Ji-hyun laughed and waved it off.
"Eh, I have to pass the audition first."
"Huh? We already passed."
Gong Ji-hyun blinked in confusion.
"What? How do you know?"
"We got the call today."
"I haven't heard anything..."
Lee Yeon-ji hesitated.
"Huh... That's weird. There's no way Ji-hyun unnie wouldn't pass."
Gong Ji-hyun started feeling a bit anxious. The extras had gotten callbacks, but she—the supporting role—had heard nothing.
"The judges even said my acting was great, so why..."
She couldn't shake the nerves all the way through filming. Midway through a take, the PD called cut and said,
"Gong Ji-hyun, your acting's been on point lately—what's up all of a sudden?"
"I'm sorry!"
"No, it's fine. Take a break and reset. We'll film other scenes in the meantime."
The PD's tone was gentle this time, even with her flub—unlike before.
Gong Ji-hyun's shoulders slumped again.
She returned to her spot and pulled out her smartphone from her bag. There was a missed call—from her manager.
The manager had sent a text too. Gong Ji-hyun checked it.
- Passed audition for 'Spear of Destiny'. The Soyeon role is yours.
She blinked, rereading the message. Then she shot to her feet, arms thrust high in the air.
"Yes!"
She dashed over to the PD.
"PD-nim! I can nail it if we reshoot now! Let me go right away—I'll do amazing!"
A few days later, THO Entertainment hosted a casual tea gathering for the cast. The venue was a conference room at the film company.
Director Byeon Hyeong-chan announced,
"We've set this up so everyone in the movie can get familiar with each other. Feel free to grab the revised scripts while you're here."
Byeon Hyeong-chan looked a touch apologetic.
"The shooting schedule will be pretty tight. We'll need you all to memorize lines quickly. If anyone's schedule can't be adjusted, please let us know ahead of time."
Oh Se-na raised her hand.
"If we can't change our other commitments, will you adjust around us? Or is it an automatic drop?"
"Pardon? Haha... Well... If Oh Se-na has unavoidable conflicts, of course we'd make adjustments."
"Oh? I like the sound of that."
Shin Eun-ha jumped in.
"But seriously, why is Se-na unnie here?"
"I heard the rumors and came running. Great script, THO Entertainment going all-in, director's a disciple of Director Son, stacked cast, and martial arts director Na Gang-in to top it off."
"That's all well and good for us, but why are you here?"
Oh Se-na covered her mouth with the back of her hand, smiling.
"Oh my. I've got one more tidbit—the female lead spot isn't locked down yet?"
"Unnie's not even a candidate."
"Not until yesterday, maybe. I'm throwing my hat in now."
She turned to Byeon Hyeong-chan.
"Director, it's Oh Se-na. Wouldn't it be easier to secure funding if I take the lead?"
Byeon Hyeong-chan gave an awkward smile.
"Well, the funding's already all secured..."
"Oh? So you don't want me? After how well I listened to you on our last film?"
Oh Se-na was the lead in Sunny Day, and Byeon Hyeong-chan had been an assistant director on it. They'd worked together once before.
'She barely listened to Director Son back then—fat chance she listened to me, the AD.'
Still, turning down Oh Se-na outright wasn't easy. She was top-tier in looks, acting chops, and popularity.
Byeon Hyeong-chan said,
"The female lead isn't finalized yet, though."
"See? Give me a shot then. You know I won't let you down."
Shin Eun-ha bristled.
"No way, Director! You promised the female lead to me, right? I've been set on it since the script was just an idea!"
Back when they filmed Sunny Day, Shin Eun-ha hadn't been Oh Se-na's rival. If they'd competed then, Oh Se-na would've crushed it—and she did, as the actual lead.
But with Sunny Day breaking ten million viewers, Shin Eun-ha—as a key supporting role—had blown up too. Oh Se-na was still bigger, but Shin Eun-ha had grown enough to challenge her.
Lee Bo-ra shot her hand up too.
"Me too! I've told you a bunch of times I want the lead!"
Lee Bo-ra had heard from Na Gang-in at the PC bang—while eating his food—that he might join as martial arts director. She'd gone straight to Byeon Hyeong-chan, begging for a role before production even ramped up.
Lee Bo-ra had gained fame from the drama Blue Sky, but she wasn't Oh Se-na level.
She could go toe-to-toe with Shin Eun-ha, though.
Among the three, Oh Se-na was the biggest star, then Shin Eun-ha, then Lee Bo-ra.
Byeon Hyeong-chan was moved, watching these three hotshot actresses sparring fiercely over the lead.
'Who knew I'd live to see such a happy day? I'm gonna tear up.'
Gong Ji-hyun's role as the supporting Soyeon was confirmed.
Not everyone gathered here knew each other. The actors chatted to break the ice.
That's when Gong Ji-hyun's acting came up.
Shin Eun-ha asked,
"I was on set that day for the drama shoot. Midway through, her acting suddenly leveled up, and after that, she was back to her old form—better than ever."
Lee Bo-ra chimed in.
"Even better than her old form."
"Totally. I watched yesterday's episode too—she killed it. But someone coached her on that acting, right?"
Gong Ji-hyun thought back to that day and smiled bashfully.
"I met another actor's coach on set that day. He taught me."
Shin Eun-ha marveled.
"Whoa. How good a teacher does he have to be to snap someone out of a slump in one go?"
"He's seriously incredible."
"Does he just teach well?"
"No, his actual acting is insane too. I'm not even in the same league."
"I wanna train with him."
Lee Bo-ra nodded along.
"Me too."
Gong Ji-hyun laughed.
"But sunbaenims, you all act great already."
Shin Eun-ha waved it off.
"Nah. I'm worse than Yu-chan oppa over there, and all he's got going for him is that handsome face."
Kim Yu-chan, who was topping crackers with cheese nearby, looked up.
"What? Why's the arrow flying my way? And is that a compliment or an insult?"
Shin Eun-ha averted her gaze slightly.
"I said you have a handsome face and better acting than me. Obviously a compliment."
"Right? But it still sounds like shade."
Gong Ji-hyun was thrown by Shin Eun-ha's words.
"Huh? But Manager Kim Yu-chan is a top star..."
'Isn't comparing to him a stretch in itself?'
In her eyes, top star Kim Yu-chan wasn't someone Shin Eun-ha could casually stack up against.
Shin Eun-ha asked,
"Why? Can't compare us?"
Gong Ji-hyun quickly gauged their reactions. Kim Yu-chan didn't seem bothered by the comparison. They even looked close.
"Of course you can."
Kim Yu-chan suddenly grinned slyly at Gong Ji-hyun.
"So you're saying me and Eun-ha are on the same level?"
"Ah! N-no! I mean, uh... Some people compare Admiral Yi Sun-sin to Won Gyun..."
Shin Eun-ha flared up.
"Who's the 'me' and who's Won Gyun?!"
"J-just kidding!"
Kwon Soo-yeon had been discharged and was recovering at home.
She called Na Gang-in.
"Where are you at?"
- Almost there. Nav says five minutes left.
"Got it."
Kwon Soo-yeon's condition was so fragile she could collapse from just a little exertion. She hadn't gone far from home much lately.
Even so, she ventured out occasionally. Today was a lab day at school.
Kwon Soo-yeon hung up and stood.
Kwon Dong-jin asked,
"Today's outing with your friend... Na Gang-in, right? To school?"
"Yeah. He wanted to check out my research, so I invited him along."
Kwon Dong-jin knew Na Gang-in was Doctor Noname. Kwon Soo-yeon researched solar cell tech.
'Why would a doctor care about solar cells...'
He didn't quite get it, but he wasn't too worried.
'Doctor Noname knows Soo-yeon's condition well—he won't push her.'
"Alright. Have a good trip. Don't stay out too late."
Na Gang-in had bought a junkyard-beater car and fixed it up with help from AI Jeon Ji-in.
It wasn't just repairs—he'd added bulletproof plating inside. Reinforced other defensive spots, slapped on combat aids.
Even threw in an emergency high-speed module. Problem was, using it could trash the engine, so emergency only.
All those mods added weight. The old engine groaned on hills now, lugging the heavier ride.
He was driving that beast to Kwon Soo-yeon's place.
AI Jeon Ji-in spoke up.
- If Kwon Soo-yeon wants fresh air, just turn on the fan.
Na Gang-in hadn't been the one to suggest touring the lab first. Kwon Soo-yeon had mentioned wanting some air.
"Heading to the school lab ties into our mission too. Seeing the Irmid solar tech up close might jog something."
- I have no activity logs beyond initial memory dump. Looking won't conjure missing data.
"Not you—me. What if I know something about Irmid tech?"
- Doubtful.
"Yeah. I'm an idiot."